F1 testing Day 3

5pm: There it is. It's all over. The drama is finally at an end. Alonso puts in a 2:18.545 as McLaren get close to a century of laps (for the week).

The only good news I can really bring you after a deeply frustrating day is that the forecast for tomorrow is much better with temperatures in the mid-teens. See you then!

4.50pm: Holy garbanzo beans it’s a timed lap. Would you believe it? Fernando Alonso posts a 2:21.268 - which is obviously crazy slow but it means McLaren will top the timesheet on Day 3.

4.15pm: Fernando Alonso is going out again in the McLaren!

I rather like the new McLaren - the papaya orange isn’t exactly as it was 60 years ago but I think it’s a exciting update. Even looks good in the rain and snow.

AFP/GETTY

Fernando Alonso

3.45pm: Just over an hour until the chequered flag will be waved on this session - but in effect, it already has been. Ricciardo has left the track and Hartley looks like he’s not interested in going out again either. What an absolute bust of a day.

3pm: And another! Brendon Hartley of Toro Rosso is having an out-lap. He manages not to lose control in the rain and comes home safely. I'm not sure that achieved very much, mind.

2.45pm: We've seen McLaren, Sauber, Red Bull... and now a Williams! Robert Kubica has been creeping round in the rain, but it's just an in and out. A cursory appearance really.

2.15pm: It’s starting to look a lot like Ricciardo’s off might be the highlight of the day. Ferrari have all but shut up shop for the day unless it dries up - and the rain is getting worse rather than better.

We’ve still got three hours to go today but I’d be pretty amazed if we see as much as a lap an hour. We’ve got four completed laps today - that’s grim.

1.45pm: Daniel Ricciardo has been out to do a couple of laps - and stuck his Red Bull in gravel! There is so much water on the track and it is treacherous.

The Australian's car is undamaged though and he is safely back in the pits. Might stay there I fancy.

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Daniel Ricciardo ended up in the gravel during his run

1pm: Still very wet in Barcelona but teams are trying to excentuate the positive. Mercedes driver Bottas has insisted they are making progress.

"I’ve learned a lot how to get the tyres to warm up!,” Bottas said.

“I’ve learned about the new car and general behaviour and how it handles. I still need to really unlock everything and really test the limits.

"From our aero testing we managed to complete all of it already, which is always going to be good for the future.

“We’ve got some mechanical tests already and got some answers and we can trust at a good percentage, even though it’s cold.

"So it’s not two days lost. But everyone is looking forward to tomorrow, [and Friday] and next week."

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Teams are starting to get out on track this afternoon

12.15pm: Rain is still falling... but there is a McLaren out on track! Full wets on Fernando Alonso's car and he just wants to drive I fancy.

11.30am: The green flag may be out but not many teams are. It's pouring with rain now and temperatures are still very low - so with so few spare parts available at this time of year, teams are pretty keen not to stick their new cars in the wall in what could hardly be tougher driving conditions.

11am: Good news! The circuit authorities have been out on a reconnaissaince lap and decided the track is usable and crucially, the medical helicopter can safely take off.

Green flagrunning is underway and there will now be six hours of straight testing. Thank goodness.

The track is of course still very wet and temperatures pretty low. How meaningful this day will be to the teams remains to be seen.

10.30am: This is not racing weather. We have already lost plenty of running time this week thanks to adverse weather this week and teams have spent more time making snowmen today than anything else. (There are some impressive efforts too. Pictures to follow.)

There has been a suggestion of moving the testing dates to allow teams to make up that time but McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has revealed doing so requires a unanimous vote from the teams - and two have held out on the decision.

“It’s obviously wasted money,” Boullier toldSky Sports.

“We tried to save costs and only go for eight days of testing.

“We need these eight days to offer a decent show on track from race one and covering reliability issues and other things we need to cover.

“We spend the money to be here and the track is booked for two weeks anyway so we had the possibility to move this day to another one later – we know the forecast is better on Sunday – so it is purely wasting money for selfish interests.”